Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-08
The Sensational Man who Gets
Into the Embrace Of g Devil


The SensationOf a Man who Gets
Into the Embrace or 3 Devil
Fish. =
From the New York Sun. H.. -
awe were lying about half 11ile off,
the beach at the Barbados, overhaul
ing the standing rigging" said James
ellis, able seaman, "when the mate
ordered John Webb an apprentice boy,
and myself into the yawl, which had
been covered and brought around to
port side, that somes. painting might
be done just abaft the mainmast. 1t
was a terribly hot day, and the water
very warm and the men having little
energy. The paint was lowered down
to us, and while used the brush the
boy held the yawl in position. We
had been at work for about quarter
OF an hour when the boy suddenly
yelled out in alright, and as turned
to him he declared that he had seen q
horrible-looking object pass under
the boat, and so on under the ship.
There are plenty Of strange creatures
floating about in those waters, and
patchl Of seaweed will sometimes as
sume'a queer shape. laughed at the
boys fears, but at the same time saw
how pale and frightened he looked.
ri" What's wanted below there?' call.
ed the mate as he leaned over the rail,
having heard Webb's cry Of alarm.
IL saw something 60 under the
boat Sir
"'Oh, you did Well ii you bawl
out again you'll feel something go un-
der your Jacket
II began work again, and had been
at it only three or four minutes when
the yawl heaved away from the ship
two or three feet, and at the same in
slant the boy screamed out again.
His voice had scarcely reachcd my ears
when something flashed before my
eyes, something caught my arm and
pulled it down and pinned it fast to
my body, and in five seconds more ]
knew what had happened. A devil fish
had flung one OF his arms about me.
Webb was screaming at the top of his
voice: and as got q look at him, l saw
that two Of the beasts feeiers were
clutching him. The arm or feeler which
had reached me pinned my arm to my
side as II in a wise, making clean
wrap around my body, and the ex-
treme end OF the feeIer crept up
along my neck and face Talk OF pain.
! never felt anything likeit The teeth
OF a bulldog couldn't have hurt worse.
1t was burning, biting, blistering SEN
sation, as if live coal had been laid on
the flesh. / added my yells to those of
Webb, but before any one came to the
rail WAS jerked to my knees in the
boat and saw that the creatures OBJ
iect was to pull me overheard. ]
heard the boy go down and thrash
about, and then three OF the men
came to our assistance.
"The devil fish had outwitted him
self. He had gone under the ship and
fastened to her bottom or keel and
as soon as he began pulling on us be
OF course pulled the yawl close against
the ships side. That closed the gap,
and he could not pull us overheard,
although I think he would have upset
the yawl, for we were both down on
her starboard side and she was almost
on her beam ends when the men Jump
ed down. They began to cut and
slash and hack with their knives, and
after two or three minutes they had
us free-not of the arms, but Of
the creature. We were hoisted on
board bowling and groaning, with the
feelers still biting, and they had to be
cut from us almost bv inches. Webb
got it far worse than did, as he wore
a thin cotton shirt and was barefoot
ed. He was bitten on one foot, both
hands and across the breast, and it
was long two weeks before he WAS on
deck again, his face sweled up until
one eye was closed, and the poison
made me i'll for many days. Wher-
ever one of the cups or suckers took
hold the skin was entirely taken of,
and it seemed as if pins had been
stuck into the raw flesh. A native
doctor brought me some herbs of
which to make a poultice, and. though
that relieved the pam and helped me
to get around again. it was months
before my face was entirely well.
"The devil-6sh minded the loss OF
his three arms for only half an hour,
at the end of which time he clutched
the empty boat, half capsized her, and
swan twice around the ship as a de-
fance to the crew, Two or three
musket balls were fired into him, and
he sank out OF sight to be seen no
more during our STAY"